Novak Djokovic said he “liked his chances” of reaching the Australian Open final if he was physically fit and says he now wants Alexander Zverev to lift his first grand slam title.
“I actually thought I played really well, as well as I played the last 12 months, to be honest,” Djokovic said.
“Of course, it was never going to be an easy battle, an easy match for me. Neither it was for Sascha, even if I was not injured.
“But as I said, I think I was striking the ball very well. A lot of positives to take in terms of how I reached the semi-finals. It’s a very good result considering the circumstances.
“But it’s not satisfying to me, for my standards. I always look for the highest goal, to reach the finals and fight for a trophy.”
Novak Djokovic when asked if he is concerned that injuries are getting in the way of his quest to win a 25th grand slam, as he approaches the age of 38.
“How much of a worry is it? I don’t know. It’s not like I’m worrying about approaching every grand slam now whether I’m going to get injured or not, but statistics are against me in a way in the last couple of years.
“So it is true that, you know, I’ve been getting injured quite a bit last few years. I don’t know what exactly is the reason for that. Maybe there are several different factors.
“But I’ll keep going. I’ll keep striving to win more slams. And as long as I feel that I want to put up with all of this, I’ll be around.”